a. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to containers. More particularly, the present invention pertains to containers having a construction that meters the amount of product dispensed from the container.
b. Background Art
Containers, such as cardboard boxes, can be formed from a single sheet (i.e., a two-dimensional) blank of material which is folded and glued to form a three-dimensional container. It is known to provide such containers with internal compartments. These compartments are often provided to contain diverse materials or products, or to arrange the materials contained within the container in a certain manner.
It has been found desirable in certain applications to be able to dispense the contents in the container in controlled, predetermined amounts. A number of known containers that are constructed to dispense metered amounts of material rely upon a hinged pour spout construction that acts both as a reservoir for the predetermined amount of material and as a dispensing opening on the container. These hinged pour spouts are relatively complicated in construction and are oftentimes provided as a member that is separate from the blank forming the remainder of the container. This construction thus increases the cost and complexity associated with the container.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a container that is able to dispense a controlled, predetermined amount of material, while at the same time being relatively simple and inexpensive in construction.